1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to high speed data links, and more particularly to high speed data links that utilize transmitter de-emphasis and receiver equalization.
2. Background Art
High speed data links transmit data from one location to another over transmission lines. These data links can include serial data links that receive data in a parallel format and convert the data to a serial format for high speed transmission. SERDES (SERializer DESerializer) data links can be part of a backplane in a communications system, that is well known to those skilled in the art (e.g. Tyco Backplane 30-inch trace).
In high speed data links, there is a trade-off between the length of the data link and the bit error rate (BER). Generally, assuming a constant data rate, the BER increases with the length of the data link. This occurs because the transmission line in the data link causes frequency distortion that contributes to inter-symbol interference. Furthermore, the BER also generally increases as the data rate increases.
It is desirable to increase the physical length of the data link and operate the data link at high data rates, while minimizing BER.